Electrocution death is ruled an accident
INQUEST JURY DELIVERS ITS VERDICT AFTER DAYS OF EVIDENCE
A METRO worker electrocuted while working on overhead cables had suffered serious head injuries in a previous accident on the lines in 2002, it’s been revealed.
John Bell was killed as he carried out maintenance work near the Nexus depot in Gosforth, Newcastle, in July 2014.
His inquest heard the 43-year-old thought he was working on an isolated wire but it was, in fact, live.
Mr Bell is believed to have grabbed the cable with both hands and died as a result of being electrocuted.
The inquest jury at Newcastle Crown Court returned a verdict of accidental death.
It is understood Mr Bell also suffered serious head injuries when he was involved in a previous accident while working on the Metro lines in 2002, although those injuries were in no way linked to his death 12 years later.
On that occasion, Nexus were fined £16,000 in what was the company’s first Health and Safety Prosecution.
A court in 2003 heard Mr Bell, from Killingworth, was working on overhead cables on the track between Jarrow and Hebburn when one of them snapped, catapulting him to the ground.
He suffered serious head and chest injuries, including losing a piece of his skull.
Nexus pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety guidelines at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court and were fined £16,000.
However, during the inquest into Mr Bell’s death, jurors were told the 2002 accident and his death in July 2014 were not linked.
A Nexus spokesperson said: “The Coroner’s hearing was told any previous incidents had no relevance to the tragic accident John Bell suffered in 2014.”
The inquest heard linesman patroller Mr Bell, who had 16 years of experience, was part of a team carrying out pre-planned repairs and maintenance on the Metro system in Gosforth on two dates in June and July 2014.
During the course of the work, one of two live overhead lines was supposed to be isolated and cut-off from the electrical supply.
However, the cable remained live and, on July 6, Mr Bell and his colleagues noticed there was a problem with another cable next to it.
The jury heard Mr Bell volunteered to fix the broken wire, thinking the one next to it had been previously isolated from an electricity supply.
It’s thought he then gripped the cable, which was still live, and was sent crashing from his ladder.
He died at the scene from his injuries, which were associated with electrocution, the court was told.
Summarising the case, Coroner Karen Dilks said: “Mr Bell was one of a team of employees, who carried out pre-planned work on overhead lines both on June 28 2014 and July 6 2014, within an area that’s called the west side of Gosforth Metro Depot.
“The work carried out on June 28 was intended to isolate one of the overhead lines - that means to make it no longer live - and that work was reported as having been completed.
“The line, in fact, was not isolated and remained live.”
The court was told the work on July 6 was also completed by a team of Nexus employees, however, Mr Bell and his colleagues noticed a problem with a “dropper wire”, which is a wire that connects to two overhead cables.
Ms Dilks continued: “The dropper connects those two wires together. The broken dropper was attached to the line believed to be isolated on June 28 but did, in fact, remain live.
“A decision was made to repair that broken dropper. Mr Bell volunteered to carry out that repair and, while doing that, he was electrocuted and that directly caused his death there on July 6.”
After three days of evidence, the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.
Tobyn Hughes, managing director of Nexus, said: “John Bell was a popular and long-serving employee and his tragic death four years ago affected everyone at Nexus deeply and continues to do so.”